1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ball carrying devices and dispensers, adapted for portable use, specifically permitting one ball at a time to be easily dispensed therefrom, during the playing of games, such as tennis, golf, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art abounds with portable mechanisms, which mechanisms permit one or more balls to be carried about, from place to place, by a player.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,156, issued Aug. 16, 1977 to Lynn E. Knight teaches an improved tennis ball carrier adapted to be carried on the person of a player comprises an axial structure divided into two axially aligned compartments and provided with a retaining lip at the mouth of each opposed open end, at lease one side opening or means permitting fingers to access the mouth-opposing back side of an enclosed tennis ball and means for maintaining a snug hold on enclosed tennis balls under playing conditions, but which still permits ready access to the back side of the ball. A belt or other clothing attachment may be provided permitting a player to harness the device to the body. A tennis ball held by the device may be released by applying finger pressure to the back side of the enclosed tennis ball compressing the ball sufficiently while urging it past the lip retaining it in the enclosure. Such device is limited to the retention of two balls, and, causes such balls to be constantly under some stress when the balls are maintained within the compartments.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,068,785, issued Jan. 17, 1978 to Noel G. Goudreau, discloses a ball holder connector construction, particularly adapted for snap connecting a base and a retaining ring of a ball holder. A base connector tongue is formed integral with the base. An aperture is formed in the base connector tongue. A retaining ring connector tongue is formed integral with the retaining ring. The regaining ring connector tongue has a hook formed integral therewith, which is adpated to pass through the aperture of the base connector tongue. The hook is adapted to engage lockingly the base connector tongue. The base connector tongue and the retaining ring connector tongue together comprise the ball holder connector. Such device is suitable for retaining one ball only, which ball, when released permits the retaining ring connector tongue to be detached from the base, enhancing the possibility that the apparatus can be disfunctional when such tongue is lost.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,256, issued Feb. 7, 1978 to Daniel L. Young relates to a portable ball-holding device for carrying tennis balls or the like and which can be worn by the player at the small of the back in an unobstrusive manner. A substantially flat base member has a facing surface, a reverse surface and a plurality of projections extending from the facing surface and mutually spaced to define a plurality of ball receiving regions each dimension to removably receive one ball. Each projection is provided with an enlarged head portion at the distal end to facilitate retention of a ball.
Several alternate means for attaching the holding device to a carrying member include a central portion of the base member and a pair of flanking flexible tab members formed so that the tab members may be inserted into the waistband of a player's garment, with the rear surface of the base member and the front surface and the free end of each tab member textured to provide improved frictional engagement with the player's garment; and adhesion means secured to the reverse surface of the base member for releasable attachment to a complementary adhesion means secured to the player's garment; and a pair of slots formed in opposing edges of the base member through which a fabric or leather belt may be passed to secure the device around the player's waist.
A cover member fabricated from transparent plastic forms a protective package for the balls, which may also function as a pressurized original sale carton by providing a rupturable seal at the junction between the cover portion and the base member. A user is mandated to grasp the ball desired to be withdrawn, by engaging such ball with at east two fingers, such fingers often coming into contact with the other balls stored within the apparatus. The enlarged head portions of the projections limit the ease in which the balls may be withdrawn selectively and, prevent the balls from accidentally being dispensed from the holder. Clearly, an optimum relationship between ease of withdrawing a desired ball and retaining such desired ball is difficult to achieve by this disclosure.